


The Value of X

by mylittlecthulhu (marineko)



Series: Mathematics of Love [8]
Category: Arashi (Band), Johnny's Entertainment
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - College/University, Ficlet, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2011-04-25
Updated: 2011-04-25
Packaged: 2017-10-22 14:52:47
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 972
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/239244
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/marineko/pseuds/mylittlecthulhu
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Matsumoto Jun is very sure that he isn't gay.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Value of X

**Author's Note:**

  * For [desirer91](https://archiveofourown.org/gifts?recipient=desirer91).



> The title is taken from a novella by Poppy Z. Brite, which, unfortunately, I've yet to read ^^;;  
> Written for the Japan Earthquake and Tsunami Relief Fund @ LJ.

Matsumoto Jun is very sure that he isn’t gay. It’s not that he thinks that being gay is wrong – the  ~~pest~~ guy who lives next door to him, Aiba, is gay. In fact, Aiba’s dating Jun’s colleague and sometimes best friend, and Jun is perfectly fine with it. He isn’t homophobic. It’s just that he isn’t gay, either.

So, he is the head of the drama department. So, he likes to have his things in perfect order. So, he dresses well. These things always make girls, and guys, look at him funny when he meets them for the first time. They think he doesn’t know, but he sees it in their curious glances; they’re wondering,  _is he or isn’t he?_  Well, he isn’t.

So why does he find Ohno Satoshi so fascinating?

It must be the art thing, he tells himself, as he looks out from his window, a steaming mug of coffee in his hands. Ohno’s windows are shut, and the curtains are drawn, but the lights are on so he knows that the artist is home. He hates it, but he can’t deny that there’s something about Ohno-sensei that defeats him, somehow. It’s like in the artist’s presence he loses his track of thought and everything goes blank and he stutters and – oh god, he thinks, he turns into  _Sho_  when Sho’s with Aiba. 

He isn’t gay, though. He’s pretty sure of it.

})i({

  
When Ohno-sensei walks into the backstage as if he belongs there, Jun stops mid-sentence. He stares dumbly as Ohno rummages through the prop boxes,  _again_. “Um,” he says. 

One of the seniors in his class speaks up. “Ohno-sensei, we’re in the middle of class.”

Ohno looks up at them, like he’s noticing for the first time that he’s not alone. Sure enough, there’s about fifteen students sitting in a circle, with Jun. He blinks. “Oh, hi,” he says to Jun. “Remember the skull you gave me?” Jun remembers no such thing, but nods anyway. “Well, it turned out that it was really useful, but I forgot to make a mold of it first before using it.”

“You want another skull.”

Ohno shrugs, and smiles. Jun takes that as a yes. He sighs. If it was anyone else, he probably would have kicked them out for interrupting his class. His students knew that, too – he could feel their stares on him. He feels unnaturally warm, and hopes that he isn’t red. “Inoue!” he barks out to one of the students. “Help Ohno-sensei out – there should be a skull somewhere in the third box from the left.” He doesn’t really know if there’s a skull in the box, but it’s the only box with props he knows he could spare. He watches as Inoue goes to Ohno, but then turns back to his class. 

})i({

  
“I’m sorry for interrupting your class yesterday.”

Jun is startled by the voice; he hadn’t noticed Ohno come into his office. It seems to be becoming a habit. This time, though, he recovers quickly. “It’s alright,” he says smoothly. “Sorry that you didn’t find what you were looking for.”

“I found something better,” Ohno tells him. Jun frowns, wondering what it is, but Ohno doesn’t say. Ohno doesn’t say anything, and he doesn’t know what to say, so he turns back to the paper he’s marking, telling himself that Ohno doesn’t unnerve him.

He feels Ohno looking at him, and he looks up. “What?”

“You have an interesting face,” Ohno says.

“I –“ he swallows, the words stuck at his throat.  _It’s not that interesting_ , he wants to say.  _I just have thick eyebrows, that’s all_ , he wants to say. At the very least, he wants to say,  _thank you_. Instead, when he finally finds his voice, he blurts out, “I’m not gay.”

Ohno raises an eyebrow. “I’m not gay, either.”

Reddening, Jun stammers out an apology, and comes up with (implausible) excuses for what he said; thankfully, Ohno just laughs it off.

})i({

  
“I’m not gay,” he says, dumping the stack of books he’d just got from the library on the table. Nino doesn’t even look up.

“Yup. Sure, you’re not.” Nino’s scribbling on his napkin, and Jun doubts that Nino even knows what he’s talking about. He looks around the teacher’s lounge, and wonders where Sho is when he needs him. 

“Really, I’m not.”

“Yes. I believe you. I said that, didn’t I?”

It’s really not like Nino to be so distracted. At the very least, Jun expects a stupid crack from his friend. “What are you doing?”

“Look at this.”

Jun looks at the formula scribbled on the napkin. It’s all gibberish to him. “What is it?”

“See, I believe that mathematics holds the answer to everything. And I mean _everything_. And this wonderful piece of work, Jun-pon, is the answer to your question.” Nino points to the end of the equation, where it says 

 _x_  =

The answer has been left blank.

“What’s the value of  _x_  have to do with me?” Jun asks, frowning. Perhaps hanging out with Aiba too much has broken Nino, he thinks. Because the man definitely isn’t making any sense.

Nino, already scribbling on another paper napkin, doesn’t answer at first. Then, just when Jun is deciding that Nino’s just being crazy weird – which, now that he thinks about it, is something that’s just been waiting to happen – the physics lecturer looks at him to explain, in a bland tone.

“The answer is – you’re not gay, but you may be a little gay for Ohno-sensei.” He grins as he sees Jun’s horrified expression. “I wouldn’t worry about it too much.”

Long after Nino has left the table, Jun is still staring at the paper napkin, as if trying to figure out how Nino’s formula worked, and what he should do to change the value of  _x_.


End file.
